A Blog

Just another Northwest Florida Daily News site

35 years ago – 1980 Food prices were going up. Government figures showed that in 1970 a family of four could be fed for $39.60 a week, in 1975 for $60.30 and in 1980 for $82.60. Federal officials announced that Berendina Van Kleef, a local Dutch immigrant, had been granted a 90-day extension of her stay in the United States, halting deportation proceedings against her. Van Kleef had been unable to acquire citizenship in the 17 years she was married… Read More »

35 years ago – 1980 Ammonia was found by state environmentalist to be draining into the Yellow River at the site of a 1979 train derailment. The site was located several miles west of Crestview near a railroad trestle at the intersection of U.S. Highway 90 and Antioch Road. An auditor general’s report criticized the Okaloosa County school board’s use of buses for “private organizations (church groups, Girl Scouts, etc.) for trips.” State statutes allowed the transportation of the elderly and handicapped… Read More »

35 years ago – 1980 State investigators began trying to identify a “smelly, brownish” substance that was seeping into the Yellow River at the site of a 1979 train derailment in which toxic chemicals were spilled. Medical personnel with the Okaloosa County Ambulance Service had taken the first steps toward unionizing, and surprised county commissioners were thinking about selling the ambulance service. 20 years ago – 1995 After more than a year’s effort, Walton County was awarded $902,719 by the Federal emergency Management… Read More »

60 years ago – 1955 Ned W. Richardson of Valparaiso applied to the State Cabinet for a permit to seek sunken treasure in Choctawhatchee Bay off Okaloosa and Walton counties. He was particularly interested in the hulk of Billy Bowlegs’ ship. Activities for the annual Remington Arms Company deep-sea fishing outing were getting underway with 70 officials representing 31 wholesale hardware firms in the southeast arriving in Fort Walton Beach. The event had been ongoing for approximately 25 years. 35 years… Read More »

35 years ago – 1980 Roberta Newby, a staff member of Tiffany’s Bakery in Santa Rosa Mall, was named National Employee of the Month by corporate headquarters. The shop was owned and operated by Jerry and Noppy Kippenberger. Radio Shack was having an end-of-month door buster sale. For one week, the TRS-80, 4K Level I, was priced at the lowest price ever at $449. The “world’s most popular microcomputer” was regularly $499. The system came with a 12-inch video screen, a… Read More »

35 years ago – 1980 Okaloosa County sheriff’s officials were investigating a rash of burglaries in which items totaling more than $20,000 were taken. Reports indicated that at least eight burglaries had occurred over a two-day period. Bottom fishing aboard “The Eagles Arch” about 25 miles offshore, Jay Aronson of Fort Walton Beach caught a 24 1/2-pound red snapper. 20 years ago – 1995 A new housing development was approved for Walton County, Rosemary Beach. Lots ranged from $82,500 to $525,000. Local… Read More »

35 years ago – 1980 Local lawmen were investigating the early morning abduction and rape of a 27-year-old woman, the holdup of a service station and a break-in during which a little girl was bound and gagged. The Florida Fisherman’s Co-op in Niceville was advertising head on shrimp, medium to large, $1.79 per pound; headless medium shrimp $3.79 per pound and flounder $1.09 per pound. 20 years ago – 1995 The Okaloosa County School Board received its largest-ever proposed budget, $200… Read More »

35 years ago – 1980 A $1.5 million sheriff’s budget was approved including a $31,630 salary for the sheriff, a 5.5 percent salary increase for 92 deputies and assistants and $25,621 for the hiring of three new deputies. Boley “Bo” Johnson took to Eglin Parkway in Fort Walton Beach with homemade signs to thank Okaloosa County voters for returning him, unopposed, to the Florida House of Representatives for another term. 20 years ago – 1995 The chief of the Ground… Read More »

35 years ago – 1980 Okaloosa County commissioners announced that Charles Walthall would be the new county extension director. The vacancy was created upon the retirement of Jack Patten. Okaloosa County authorities were gearing up for a hurricane drill. In the scenario, a killer hurricane was expected to make landfall with 200 mph winds and a 25-foot storm surge. 20 years ago – 1995 Greg Newburn of Mary Esther was named as a U.S. House of Representatives page. The City of… Read More »

35 years ago – 1980 Okaloosa County’s post offices were busy as young men born in 1960 patiently lined up to affix their names to draft registration cards. Okaloosa commissioners were discussing taking “drastic measures” to curb the vandalism, violence and rowdiness that plagued Okaloosa Island’s Wayside Park. 20 years ago – 1995 The Henderson Beach Land Trust requested that Okaloosa County turn over to them a section of U.S. Highway 98. The trust was ready to sell the land west of… Read More »

About This Blog

This is an example of a WordPress page, you could edit this to put information about yourself or your site so readers know where you are coming from. You can create as many pages like this one or sub-pages as you like and manage all of your content inside of WordPress.